Two years after the start of the large-scale war, the dynamic of Western support for kyiv is losing momentum: newly committed aid is down over the period from August 2023 to January 2024 compared to the same period of the the previous year, according to the latest report from the Kiel Institute, published in February 2024. And this trend could continue, with the American Senate struggling to pass aid, and the European Union (EU) having had every difficulty in have aid of 50 billion adopted on 1is February 2024, due to the Hungarian blockade. Please note, these two aid packages are not yet taken into account in the latest assessment made by the Kiel Institute, which ends in January 2024.
Data from the German institute show that the number of donors is decreasing and is concentrated around a core of countries: the United States, Germany, the countries of northern and eastern Europe, which promise both high financial aid and advanced weaponry. In total, since February 2022, the countries which support kyiv have committed at least 276 billion euros on the military, financial or humanitarian level.
In absolute terms, the richest countries have been the most generous. The United States is by far the leading donors, with more than 75 billion euros in aid announced, including 46.3 billion in military aid. European Union countries announced both bilateral aid (64.86 billion euros) and joint aid from European Union funds (93.25 billion euros), for a total of 158.1 billion euros.
When we relate these contributions to the gross domestic product (GDP) of each donor country, the ranking changes. The United States has fallen to twentieth place (0.32% of its GDP), well behind countries neighboring Ukraine or former friendly Soviet republics. Estonia takes the lead in aid relative to GDP with 3.55%, followed by Denmark (2.41%) and Norway (1.72%). The rest of the top 5 is completed by Lithuania (1.54%) and Latvia (1.15%). The three Baltic states, which all share borders with Russia or its ally Belarus, have been among the most generous donors since the start of the conflict.
In the ranking of the percentage of GDP, France is twenty-seventh, having committed with 0.07% of its GDP, just behind Greece (0.09%). The aid provided by Paris has been in constant decline since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – France was twenty-fourth in April 2023, and thirteenth in the summer of 2022.
Police Promise to Solve the Case After Firli’s Role Was Revealed at the SYL Trial
#Police #Promise #Solve #Case #Firlis #Role #Revealed #SYL #Trial
Jakarta –
Former Chairman of the Corruption Eradication Commission Firli Bahuri His role in the alleged extortion of the former Minister of Agriculture (Mentan) Syahrul Yasin Limpo (SYL) is increasingly being revealed. Polda Metro Jaya promised to resolve Firli’s case.
The police confirmed that Firli’s case was still ongoing. This case is also being directly monitored by Bareskrim Polri.
“We guarantee that the investigation carried out by the Polda Metro Jaya Tipidkor Sub-Directorate investigation team together with the National Police Criminal Investigation Team will run professionally, transparently, accountably. Professionally and will definitely be complete,” said Director of Criminal and Criminal Investigation of Polda Metro Jaya Kombes Ade Safri Simanjuntak to reporters, Friday (19/ 4/2024).
Firli Bahuri has been named a suspect in the alleged extortion case against SYL since November 2023. Firli was charged with alleged corruption eradication crimes in the form of extortion or gratification or bribery related to the handling of legal issues at the Indonesian Ministry of Agriculture in the 2020-2023 period.
Polda Metro Jaya has not arrested Firli and said they are developing the alleged corruption into other alleged criminal acts. Firli has filed two pretrial lawsuits. The first lawsuit was not accepted and the second lawsuit was withdrawn for reasons of file revision.
It was revealed that Firli asked SYL for IDR 50 billion
KPK prosecutors presented former SYL aide, Panji Hartanto, as a witness in the trial of the alleged extortion and gratification case at the Ministry of Agriculture (Kementan). Panji revealed that the former chairman of the Corruption Eradication Committee, Firli Bahuri, once asked SYL for IDR 50 billion.
This was revealed in BAP Panji number 34 which was read by the judge at the trial at the Jakarta Corruption Court, Wednesday (17/4). Panji admitted that he heard SYL’s conversation regarding the request for money.
“It’s in the BAP that you know about the request for money, BAP number 34, yes, from Firli Bahuri that here at that time SYL stated that there was a request for IDR 50 billion from Firli Bahuri. Did you know that from the conversation or what?” the judge asked.
“From Mr. (SYL)’s conversation,” answered Panji.
“From your father’s conversation?” asked the judge.
“At that time in the work room,” answered Panji.
Panji said the defendant Muhammad Hatta was also in the work room when SYL discussed Firli’s request for money. The judge read Panji’s BAP again, who chose to leave the work room because he considered the chat confidential.
“At that time, SYL said there was a request for Rp. 50 billion from Firli Bahuri. But after hearing these words, because I felt it was a secret conversation, I left the room,” read the judge.
“Okay,” said Panji.
The judge studied Panji’s statement regarding the purpose of Firli’s request for IDR 50 billion. Panji said the money was related to problems at the KPK.
“Okay. To your knowledge, is there any information, because you are an aide, that SYL himself has put forward things related to what the information about this request for money is related to?” the judge asked.
“Which one?” said Panji.
“Yes, earlier there was a request for IDR 50 billion from Firli, do you know what that is?” the judge asked.
“There is a problem at the KPK,” answered Panji.
Panji admitted that he knew there was a problem at the KPK because SYL was gathering Echelon I officials at the Ministry of Agriculture. He said the incident occurred in 2022.
“Where do you know from?” asked the judge.
“At that time Echelon I was gathered at Wichan (SYL Minister of Agriculture’s official residence on Jalan Widya Chandra). There was an investigation letter,” answered Panji.
“When is it?” the judge asked.
“Around 2022,” answered Panji.
“Are you there?” asked the judge.
“I’m there,” answered Panji.
The judge again studied Panji’s statement regarding SYL’s goal of gathering Echelon I officials from the Ministry of Agriculture. Panji said SYL ordered the inspector general to coordinate with the KPK.
“Okay. Then when they were collected, what was said?” the judge asked.
“Sir instructed the Inspector General to coordinate,” answered Panji.
“Inspector General who?” the judge asked.
“At that time, Mr Jan Marinka, if I’m not mistaken,” answered Panji.
“Okay. What were those instructions for?” the judge asked.
“To coordinate with the KPK,” answered Panji.
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(azh/azh)
Police Promise to Solve the Case After Firli’s Role Was Revealed at the SYL Trial
The African Union officially becomes the new member of the G20
The African Union became the new member of the G20 this Saturday, symbolically sitting at the table along with the rest of the leaders of the main world economies during the Group of Twenty summit in New Delhi.
“I would like to welcome the president of the African Union as an official member of the G20,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said at the opening of the summit.
The Indian president sealed the accession with one of his famous hugs to the president of the union of African countries, Azali Assoumani.
Strengthen multilateralism
The Asian country, host of the G20, had defended since assuming the presidency the inclusion of the African Union as a permanent member of the Group of Twenty, a proposal welcomed by other world leaders as a step forward to strengthen multilateralism.
“India has played a great role in this regard, and we are very grateful for its leadership in the G20,” the spokesperson for the president of South Africa, Vincent Magwenya, reacted to the media.
The spokesperson called the accession of the African Union as an official member of the G20 “a very positive development” for the voice of the global south.
Regarding a possible change of the G20, now having 21 members, a source from the Indian Foreign Ministry who requested anonymity stated that for the moment the group will maintain its name.
“If Brazil wants to change it during its presidency, it is free to do so,” the official joked to the media.
The union of African countries thus becomes the last member of the group, created in 1999 and made up of the G-8 (Germany, Canada, USA, France, United Kingdom, Italy, Japan and Russia), the EU, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, China, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa and Turkey.
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, welcomed the inclusion of the AU and stated on the social network X (formerly Twitter) that the European Union had “firmly supported this initiative” and had defended it from the beginning.
An opinion similar to that of the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, who highlighted in X the importance of this step so that the global multilateral system reflects the realities of the world. With EFE
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https://www.worldysnews.com/the-african-union-officially-becomes-the-new-member-of-the-g20/